So far in 2026, on average, more than two million people fly in the friendly skies every day. According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), travelers leave anywhere between 90,000 and 100,000 items at airport checkpoints every single month, and most of them are cold, hard cash. In 2025, the TSA collected $967,897.97 in unclaimed inspection fees, mostly coins that people took out of their pockets during security checks. So, what exactly happens to all that stuff that gets left behind?
Although TSA tries to refund the owner whenever possible, if it cannot, it must follow basic principles. First, they must track the amounts received at each airport and report the total amounts not only to Congress but to several different committees. If foreign currency is not claimed, it is converted to US dollars to reduce conversion costs. Any unclaimed funds must be used to further TSA’s mission of providing public aviation security.
Physical objects such as laptops, cell phones, wallets, belts, and passports follow very different paths in the system. The TSA has “Lost and Found” where passengers can collect any items they may have left behind or escaped from checked baggage. If there is no easy, identifiable way to return the item to the owner, the TSA will hold it for at least 30 days. That’s why it’s always important to attach your contact information to everything you take with you, because you never know what might happen while you’re running around the airport.
They don’t get keepers, they don’t cry losers
After 30 days, any unwanted electronics will have their memory erased and the hard drive destroyed. If the drive cannot be removed, everything is thrown into the shredder to protect personal data. Documents such as passports and driving licenses are also destroyed after 30 days of waiting. If weapons are taken or found inside carry-on bags, they are handed over to the local police. It may surprise you to know that in 2024, the TSA confiscated 6,678 guns at airport security checkpoints.
Any remaining unclaimed items are then sent to each state’s recycling companies, where they can be recycled, donated, destroyed, or sold at auction through the government’s recycling marketplace GovDeals. Once the item is sold, the proceeds are transferred to the US Treasury Department and used to pay down the national debt. It should be noted that if you voluntarily leave something behind (as opposed to losing it), that 30-day grace period goes out the proverbial window and will be dealt with very quickly. Interestingly, another way things are sold is through the sale of lost goods, sometimes called “suitcase gambling,” which is essentially the same as people blindly bidding on abandoned and reclaimed warehouses, hoping to find gold.
To avoid accidentally leaving something out, it’s best to follow the old adage of calmness. Second, label everything with a value, and if you lose something, remember that you have a limited amount of time to try to get it back.